Various machines and apparatus for cutting tubular members are known. Examples of these include U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,409 entitled Drinking Straw Prepared From Flattened Polymeric Tubular Conduit, Method of Making Same and Dispenser Therefor; U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,854 entitled Striped Drinking Straw and Method of Making Same, U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,215 entitled Apparatus For Cutting a Tube of Semi-Rigid Material and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2006/0086228 entitled Tube Cutting Process and Device. Devices for packaging or handling cut tubular members are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2006/0026930 entitled Dual Head Straw Wrapper and U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,553 entitled Device for Transporting Elongated Work Pieces.
In one embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for cutting tubular members includes a support structure, a control system, a cutting station, a guide and an extracting assembly. The cutting station includes a first wheel having at least one cutting member located on the circumference of the first wheel and a second wheel having at least one projection located on the circumference of the second wheel. The extracting assembly has a cylindrical member with a first end and a second end. The cylindrical member also includes a first interior section tapering from the first end toward the second end, a second interior section tapering from the end of the first interior section toward the second end of the cylindrical member, a third interior section extending from the end of the first interior section toward the second end of the tubular member and a pair of grooves extending from the first interior section to the third interior section. The grooves decrease in height and depth from the first interior section to the third interior section.
In another embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for cutting tubular members includes a cutting station and an extracting assembly for ejecting the cut segments of the tubular member from the apparatus. The extracting assembly includes at least one groove for expanding a portion of the cut segments.
In another embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for cutting tubular members includes a cutting station and an extracting assembly. The cutting station has a first wheel and a second wheel. The first wheel has at least one cutting member located on its circumference. The cutting member has a portion for cutting the tubular member. The second wheel has at least one projection located on its circumference. The first and second wheels are positioned such that the portion for cutting the tubular member and the projection are aligned on opposite sides of the tubular member when it is cut without the portion for cutting the tubular member contacting the projection.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a method of cutting a tubular member, includes the step of introducing a tubular member into an apparatus having a cutting station, the cutting station having a first wheel having at least one cutting member located on the circumference of the first wheel, the cutting member having a cutting portion and a second wheel having at least one projection located on the circumference of the second wheel. The method further includes the steps of guiding the tubular member between the first and second wheels and rotating the first and second wheels such that the cutting portion is positioned opposite the projection and has a tangential speed substantially equal to the linear speed of the tubular member while cutting the member.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a method of cutting a continuous hollow tubular member having a fully expanded configuration with an outer diameter D, including the steps of feeding the continuous hollow tubular member in the fully expanded configuration to a cutting station, cutting the continuous hollow tubular member into a plurality of hollow tubular members, each of which has a first flattened end and expanding the first flattened end of the plurality of hollow tubular members to the fully expanded configuration such that the first end of the plurality of hollow tubular members has an outer diameter D.
In other embodiments, the method further includes cutting the continuous hollow tubular member into a plurality of hollow tubular members having a second flattened end and a section located between the first flattened end and the second flattened end. The section located between the first flattened end and the second flattened end has an outer diameter D.
In other embodiments, the method includes expanding the second flattened end of the plurality of hollow tubular members to the fully expanded configuration such that the second end of the plurality of hollow tubular members has an outer diameter D.
In one embodiment, the second flattened end is formed prior to expanding the first flattened end.
In another embodiment, the step of expanding the first flattened end includes engaging the first flattened end with a groove.